Meta Fails To Knock Out BIPA Voiceprint Privacy Claims

By Rae Ann Varona

A California federal judge has refused to let Meta Platforms Inc. escape an Illinois woman's proposed class claims that Meta collects "voiceprints" in violation of Illinois' Biometric Information Privacy Act, saying in a ruling unsealed Thursday that whether Meta obtained her voice recordings in a way capable of identifying her was still up for dispute.

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Another Trump Order For Election Restrictions Blocked

By Julie Manganis

A Massachusetts federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration from implementing the president's March order to compile a federal list of eligible voters and to set new restrictions on the use of mail-in ballots in this fall's general election.

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Otter Tail's $30M Deal In PVC Price-Fix Case Gets Initial OK

By Celeste Bott

An Illinois federal judge has granted preliminary approval to a $30 million deal Otter Tail has inked to resolve certain plaintiffs' claims in litigation alleging that two of its subsidiaries conspired with other polyvinyl chloride pipe producers to fix prices.

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Universal Trucker Gets Class OK In Ill. Biometric Privacy Row

By Allison Grande

An Illinois federal judge granted class status to a former Universal Intermodal Services employee in his suit accusing the company and affiliates of illegally collecting workers' biometric data, finding the potential inclusion in the certified classes of temporary workers or those who might have signed consent forms didn't foreclose the move.

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AGs, Cable Orgs., Newsmax Back Nexstar Block At 9th Circ.

By Bryan Koenig

A bipartisan coalition of state attorneys general have filed one of three amicus briefs urging the Ninth Circuit to fully preserve a preliminary injunction blocking Nexstar's purchase of Tegna, arguing the states challenging the deal have standing to sue and that only a broad block is appropriate.

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Del. Shields Kroger Lawyers' Brainstorming In Albertsons Suit

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday denied Albertsons Cos. Inc.'s bid to force The Kroger Co. to submit additional internal law firm communications in litigation over the companies' failed $24.6 billion merger, ruling that Kroger's waiver of attorney-client privilege does not extend to lawyers' brainstorming that was never communicated to the client.

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7th Circ. Won't Reinstate Trans Bus Driver's Bias Suit

By Grace Elletson

The Seventh Circuit declined to revive a transgender bus driver's suit claiming the Chicago Transit Authority fired him due to his gender identity, ruling he failed to show the decision was driven by prejudice rather than claims that he took medical leave that wasn't approved.

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Allstate Not Liable For Contractor's Spam Calls, 7th Circ. Says

By Danielle Ferguson

Allstate Insurance Co. can't be held vicariously liable for a subcontractor's spam calls to a man on a do-not-call list because the insurer did not know the company had been hired and could not be directly linked to allowing that extra layer of marketing, the Seventh Circuit said Wednesday.

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Series

Moshing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

Entering a mosh pit is much like entering the practice of law — it is difficult, you have to know both the written and unwritten rules, and conduct yourself according to the expectations of each community, says Christopher Deubert at Constangy Brooks.

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Groombridge Wu Tops Milbank Pay Scale For Associates

By Kevin Penton

Groombridge Wu Baughman & Stone LLP is the latest firm to top the pay scale for associates announced earlier this month by Milbank LLP, with attorneys set to earn as much as $470,000.

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Senate Confirming Judges Faster Than In Trump's 1st Term

By Courtney Bublé

The Senate has confirmed 45 judges in the second Trump term, outpacing the rate of his first administration, Senate Republicans announced on Thursday.

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Attys Urged To Challenge Clients Who Demand AI Research

By Aaron Keller

A Connecticut federal judge urged attorneys during a Thursday sanctions hearing to push back against clients who demand lawyers use generative artificial intelligence tools to conduct legal research, saying the technology is no substitute for professional judgment and discretion because it "aims to please" and can misstate the law.

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Lack Of Evidence Sinks Insurance Fraud Case, Atty Says

By Emily Sawicki

A Louisiana law firm and lawyer found guilty of criminal conspiracy and wire fraud for staging vehicle crashes as part of a scheme to defraud insurance carriers and trucking companies are seeking acquittal or a new trial, arguing that federal prosecutors failed to support their claims with evidence.

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SCOTUSblog Founder Goldstein Blasts 'Inflated' DOJ Tax Math

By Jared Foretek

Convicted SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein and federal prosecutors are clashing again over their dramatically divergent sentencing recommendations, with the defense accusing the government of presenting a "one-dimensional caricature" of the famed lawyer in seeking an eight-year sentence, and prosecutors accusing him of potentially deleting "secret chats" with his gambling backers.

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Feds Say Would-Be Kavanaugh Assassin Was Let Off Easy

By Nadia Dreid

Both federal prosecutors and a Stephen Miller-founded public interest group believe that a Maryland federal judge let a woman accused of trying to kill U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh off too easy because of her gender identity and want the Fourth Circuit to order resentencing.

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Quinn Emanuel Says 3M Fee Proposal Undervalues Its Work

By Carolina Bolado

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP has objected to a special master's recommendation on the allocation of common benefit fees in the $6 billion settlement that ended multidistrict litigation against 3M over allegedly faulty combat earplugs, saying the amount doesn't value the "length, extent and impact" of the firm's work.

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